Swept Away

By John Logan

Music and lyrics by The Avett Brothers

Originally produced at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Berkeley, CA

 June 14 – July 26, 2020

About the Premiere Production:

Synopsis: A haunting musical tale of the sea, sacrifice, and salvation.

“What do you do when you’re so lost even God can’t see you?”

Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch) blew the roof off Berkeley Rep in 2009 with Green Day’s American Idiot. Now he returns with a captivating world premiere musical, this time featuring a book by Tony Award-winning stage and screen writer John Logan (Red, Broadway’s Moulin Rouge!, Skyfall, Gladiator), and music and lyrics by “America’s biggest roots band” (Rolling Stone) and multiple Grammy Award nominee The Avett Brothers.

1888, off the coast of New Bedford, MA. When a violent storm sinks their whaling ship, the four surviving souls—a young man in search of adventure, his older brother who has sworn to protect him, a captain at the end of a long career at sea, and a worldly first mate who has fallen from grace—each face a reckoning: How far will I go to stay alive? And can I live with the consequences?

Produced by special arrangement with Matthew Masten and Sean Hudock.

Music arrangements and orchestrations: Chris Miller and Brian Usifer

Director: Michael Mayer

Additional funders: Schwab Charitable

An important note regarding health and content advisories:

Berkeley Rep offers an advisory about any stage effect of potential concern to patrons’ health. We will provide this information as soon as it’s available. We don’t offer unsolicited content advisories as sensitivities vary from person to person. If you have concerns about content or themes, we are happy to provide details. Please call our box office at 510 647–2949 or email info@berkeleyrep.org.